Juneau – Last night over 100 Alaskans provided public testimony to the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on the proposed Education Funding Act, one of the four pillars of the comprehensive fiscal plan put forward by the Alaska House Majority Coalition. A significant majority of those who testified spoke in favor of House Bill 115 and maintaining Alaska’s commitment to public education and the University of Alaska. HB 115 passed the Alaska House of Representatives earlier this month and is under consideration in the Alaska State Senate.

Juneau – Representatives Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks), Ivy Spohnholz (D-Anchorage), and Rep. Zach Fansler (D-Bethel) introduced legislation today to extend the Senior Benefits Program sunset clause to 2022, ensuring another four years of support for low income seniors across Alaska. Without action, the program would end in 2018.

Here we are! Easter Day is the last day of the regular session and legislators are preparing for the 30-day extension under the State Constitution. As I’ve said all session, I respect the will of the voters when they passed the initiative in 2006 to establish a 90-day legislative session. Given the time and the reluctance of the Senate to work on a full deficit reduction plan, it looks like we will get what the Senate wanted from the beginning – Overtime in Juneau!